Our discussion about cultural studies in class got me thinking about a movie that I watched in another class on analysis of Disney and their movies, it is called Mickey Mouse Monopoly. The gender roles in Disney films are very obvious and prominent. All of the Disney films portray females as highly sexualized. This includes all of the humans, animals including fish, bunnies, etc., and objects such as brooms, cabinets and tea pots. All of these characters have stunning eyes accompanied by very long and beautiful eyelashes which they are constantly seen batting and using to seduce the male characters. They also all have very defined and accentuated hips, small waists and defied breasts. All of these are physical aspects of what is portrayed as a typical and ideal female. The female characters in Disney movies use their bodies and seductiveness to get their way and get what they want. These films are teaching little girls that using their bodies for manipulation is a good thing and is even encouraged. Females are also seen as there to serve the men, cook, clean, look pretty and are of less significance to the male characters. Disney is conveying a message of what femininity is all about and how it should be by putting it into a “magic kingdom wrapper” that presents this sexualized female as amazing and desirable.
This movie came as a big shock to me because I had never really thought about this portrayal of women in Disney movies. They are looking at women and how they are represented that result in teaching girls how they should act or look. These are all stereotypical representations of women. Disney creates a pseudo feminism that seems to portray women as independent but really in the end they need a man to save them or to be happy and fulfill their womanly role. This creates an ideology that girls should strive for and a culture that women should base their lives around. This cultural analysis looks on the gender portrayal of women and points out all the stereotypes that have been fulfilled in the Disney movies. It shows how women are regarded by the construction of their characters and the acts that they may do throughout the movie. This outlook on women is fairly over the top and extravagant for how they should be presenting and conducting themselves. This representation marginalizes females and their roles in the world.
I am a huge Disney movie buff. I have always loved the movies and whenever a new one is released I always want to go see it, like when Tangled came out or the newly released Frozen. You could say that I have always hated a feminist critique of these movies because I love them so much. I always say, "They're kids movies so it doesn't matter." However, after thinking about it I remember when I was little that I wanted so badly to be like Jasmine, Esmeralda, Aurora, Ariel (especially when I played in a pool), and Megara. I also always wanted to be like Anastasia ad Sawyer from Cats Don't Dance made by Warner Brothers. In order to look like them I used to dress up in the costumes and put makeup on. They also gave me false expectations about my hair.
ReplyDeleteI definitely am still a big fan of Disney movies but I think it's interesting to look at how early "feminism" and what it is like to be a woman is taught to girls. It is also shocking that Disney does the same for boys being taught to be "masculine".